Former church eyed as mental health center, but neighbors say they weren't notified of project plans

Friday

Jul 14, 2017 at 7:16 PMJul 14, 2017 at 7:24 PM

Jo C. Goode Herald News Staff Reporter @jgoodeHN

FALL RIVER — A Boston-based nonprofit looking for space to open a six-bed crisis stabilization facility in the city met with Mayor Jasiel Correia II and mental health and state officials.

The nonprofit is proposing to purchase the former Immaculate Conception Church on Thomas Street — but a Flint neighborhood leader and state representative say Flint neighbors were never apprised of the proposed project.

State Rep. Carole Fiola said the state Department of Mental Health requested she arrange a meeting with Correia and private service providers for emergency mental health facilities, a task made difficult due to a lack of locations.

Gov. Charlie Baker was successful after his 2015 campaign to privatize emergency health care, a move Fiola said she and other SouthCoast leaders “led a battle against.”

“But I lost that battle,” said Fiola.

She agreed to arrange the meeting that convened on March 17 between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. in the mayor’s conference room with DMH officials, Boston Medical Center representatives, VinFen representatives and another behavioral health care provider, according to Fiola.

Correia, in an email from Special Assistant Faust Fiore regarding the former church site, had this reply: “The mayor has not spoken to the principals involved in this matter and so has no comment at this time.”

Fiola confirmed that the former Flint neighborhood church was not discussed at the March meeting, but that other possible sites were, and that Correia’s secretary forwarded the state representative an email of Vinfen’s proposal for the mayor’s support to purchase the site for the six-bed facility.

Copies of emails and specs of the Thomas Street property sent to Correia from Charles Tuplin, director of services for the Boston-based Vinfen’s psychiatric rehabilitation division, were obtained by The Herald News and support Fiola’s claim.

In an email dated May 12 to the mayor, Tuplin expresses his pleasure meeting with Correia several weeks before and the suggested sites were not available for rent or sale as indicated. He indicated that the agency would like to purchase the former Immaculate Conception Church property and planned to use the rectory for the six-bed facility.

In a second email dated May 30, Tuplin sent Correia specs on the property and indicated the non-profit hoped to close by July 1 and asked for a response from the mayor.

Another email shows that the mayor’s secretary forwarded Tuplin’s proposal to Fiola on June 23, asking for her feedback.

“I hadn’t heard a word until the mayor sent me the proposal,” Fiola said. “I suggested he engage with the community and that he share it with the Flint neighborhood.”

She later reached out to Flint Neighborhood Association President Carlos Cesar, who informed her he had not been contacted by the administration regarding VinFen’s desire to purchase the church property. Fiola sent Cesar the correspondence, who contacted Tuplin.

“He said they looked into it but there was never a decision to buy. I told him that he did have a decision to buy,” Cesar said.

At the neighborhood association meeting, Cesar shared Vinfen’s proposal for the emergency crisis facility with the membership.

“We are not against it, we just don’t have enough information. Let’s have communication with the neighbors,” Cesar said.

Tuplin was contacted by a reporter and immediately responded “no comment” and provided the telephone number to Vinfen’s public relations department.

Answering a number of questions by email, Vinfen’s Director of Communications and Development Erin Tighe said the agency is no longer interested in the former church property, although “Vinfen is fully committed to working closely with the Mayor and members of the community to provide services to people in Fall River with psychiatric conditions.”

Tighe explained that a Crisis Stabilization Program is short-term residential program for people with urgent psychiatric needs.

“The established services in Fall River are provided in collaboration with Boston Medical Center, Bay Cove Human Services, and Vinfen under the supervision of the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership,” stated Tighe.

The Thomas Street property which is owned by the Fall River Diocese, listed for $499,000 and currently zoned as mixed general residence and apartment use.

John Kearns, spokesman for the Diocese, said the property has not been sold, nor are there any negotiations with a potential buyer.